Chapter 24 - Observations

While occasionally studying Ell1s’ whereabouts and actions, I find myself engrossed in dozens of scattered documents. When I’m not busy, I often find Ell1s pacing around, absentminded, or reading through pages data on a holographic screen. He’s been increasingly anxious lately, glitches in his appearance becoming more noticeable. Maybe he feels guilty for what he did, or he doesn’t know what to do with a human around. Either way, he knows that I don’t feel comfortable near him, and the guilt is probably tearing him apart. I want to feel bad, and yet my stubbornness knows no bounds and keeps me working towards my goal.

In the meantime, I’ve been exploring the place a bit more, and started making my own mental map of the facility. One of the files contained info about a large server room located under the main floor of this underground structure. If I’m correct, there should be some sort of stairs or door leading deeper underground to that area. I just need to figure out how I can disable them without him noticing… Or at the very least keep Ell1s distracted while I do so…

I find myself walking along the metal hallways once again, looking behind me every few minutes or so to make sure he’s not trying to sneak behind me again. I make a mental note of the areas I’ve searched before and examine each room for anything I’ve missed. I find a few more files scattered around, but most of them are empty.

As I find myself growing increasingly tired and hungry, I decide to head to the food storage room and grab a quick bite to eat. As I’m walking there, I come across a dark hallway I haven’t explored yet. A single light, barely illuminating the area and flickering nonstop, reveals a door with a padlock on the side.

I examine the padlock firmly affixed onto the door. It doesn’t seem too hard to open, but it might take a bit of a struggle, though… I dig through my pockets for something I could pick it with, until I hear a familiar voice in the distance. “Lena? Where’d you go? Sorry, I was busy–”

Shit. I run back out into the hallway, putting back on a fake smile. “Right here! Just uh, heading to eat something.” He jumps a bit at my sudden appearance but goes back to his typical anxious demeanor. “Oh! Okay! Uh, well, it’s the other hallway down, you know.” He points in the other direction.

“Yeah, uh, my bad. I guess I got lost again. Thanks.” I pause and start walking again as he starts to follow me. “Did you need something?” “No, no, I just, er… wanted to check in on you, that’s all. I got a bit worried when I couldn’t find you.” I nod and walk inside the storage room, rummaging through boxes and preparing myself for the unpleasant taste of the rations inside. At least it’s food, I guess…

Ell1s watches me with curiosity and floats to a nearby table. “So… care to chat?” He gives me an awkward smile as I sigh and reluctantly take a seat. I feel a little bad for ignoring him all the time, so maybe some more conversation wouldn’t hurt. I suppose it’s nice being able to talk to someone again, but I can’t stay here forever…